steward



No. s|7,545. Patented Ja'n. l0, I899. J. F. STEWARD. KNOTTER FORHARVESTING MACHINES.

(Application filed. Nov. 26, 1897.)

(No ModL) WITNESSES.

flttorneys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. STEWARD, OF ADDISON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANKBARNES, OF SAME PLACE.

KNOTTER FOR HARVESTING-MACHINES.

s'rnorrioarroiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,545, datedJanuary 10, 1899.

Application filed November 26, 1897. Serial No. 659,798. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN F. STEWARD, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Addison, in thecounty of Lenawee, State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Knotters forHarvestingMa chines; and it consists in the construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out particularly inthe claims.

The objects of the invention are to produce a knotter forharvesting-machines of simple and inexpensive construction, in which theknotter-bill rotates in the are of a vertical circle and stands when ina horizontal position parallel to and in line with the twine, and by afurther arrangement of parts enable a knot to be perfectly and easilyformed and the twine severed close to the knot, within the loop thereof,by means of a knife carried in the knotter-bill. These objects areattained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is a perspective view of my knottying mechanism, showingthe parts in their normal position. Fig. 2 is a like view in detail,showing the twine in position to begin the operation of tying. Fig. 3 isa like view showing the knot partially formed and about to slip over theend of the bill. Fig. 4 is a like view showing the knot formed, with theloop held by the hooked knife of the bill. Fig. 5 is a like view showingthe twine severed by the knife of the bill as the bundle is discharged.Fig. 6 is a plan view of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a transverse section throughthe bill, as on line 7 7 of Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a view showing theposition of parts when the bill has partially completed its movement andformed the twine around it.

Referring to the letters of reference, A

designates a rotary shaft journaled in suitable supports A, mounted upona base A.

The shaft A is driven through the medium of the crank B 01 othersuitable mechanical means to impart the desired movement thereto. Theknotter-bill O is secured to the end of the shaft opposite the crank Band adjacent to the support A, said bill normally standing in ahorizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The knotter-bill 0 comprises a rounded oblong body and is mounted on theshaft A near its geometric center. One end of said bill is tapered to anacuminated point a, from which point the line of the outer face of saidbill describes a bevel or incline c, extending longitudinally thereof.The opposite end of said bill is bifurcated, forming the two op posedmembers e and f, of which the .member e, forming one of the prongs ofthe bill proper, serves as a guard for the opposed member or prong f ofthe bill, which is pro Vided with an inner cutting edge 1' and at theouter end with an inwardly-projecting hook d, forming, in'effect, ahooked knife. The prong e and the opposed knife f of the bill standadjacent, forming a space b between them, the rounded end of the prong eprojecting beyond the point of the hook of the knife, so as to serve asa guard therefor and. prevent the twine as it slips from the end of theprong e in the forming of the knot from engaging said hook.

D designates a curved guide against which the twins is carried aftercrossing the bill and which deflects the twine from a straight line,causing it to cross the under face of the bill at an angle, as shownmore clearly in Fig. 6, so that when the bill is rotated the hookedpoint of theknife will pass said twine, which will be carried toward thecenter of the 'bill upon the curved outer edge thereof as said billrotates. Formed in the upper face of the bill when said bill is standingin its normal position is a groove 0, (also shown in Fig. 6,) whichserves to retain the twine I properly in place when drawn into positionacross the upper face of said bill.

In the operation of this improved knotter the twine by means of a needle(not shown) or any other suitable mechanical means is carried across theupper face of the bill when in the position shown in Fig. 1 and passedaround the bundle and back across said bill, the bundle lying within theloop described by the ends g of the twine E, while the ends 7t of saidtwine are held by any suitable twine-holder, which position of parts isillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. IVith the parts in the position abovedescribed the shaft A is rotated a one-half turn, causing theknotterbill to make one-half of a revolution in the direction indicatedby the arrows in Fig. 2, in which movement the opposed ends of the billswing past the respective ends of the twine, causing the twine to rideupward on the outer face of the bill and form around the body thereofwith the lines of the twine crossing, as shown in Fig. 8. Upon a furtherrotation of the bill the ends h of the twine are caused to enter betweenthe prongs thereof and are engaged by the hook cl, as shown in Fig. 3.At this point in the operation of the machine the dischargearms (notshown) discharge the bundle, bringing a draft upon the twine, whichcauses the portion on thereof which encircles said bill to sliptherefrom and pass over the twine, which is retained by the hook (Z,thereby drawing the twine held by said hook through said circle of twinewhich embraced said bill, forming a loop 01 around the knife f back ofthe hook, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and tying the knot in said twine,as shown at r. The strain upon the twine not only closes the knot 0',but draws the loop 71 against the knife, so as to sever the twine insaid loop, permitting it to pass free from the bill, as clearly shown inFig. 5, when the operation is completed. The bill is returned to itsnormal position by a backward rotation of the shaft A through the mediumof the crank B or other suitable means, as shown in Fig. 1, ready for asucceeding operation.

The stipple-line s in Fig. 6 indicates a straighthorizontal planecrossing the knotterbill and serves to illustrate the deflection of thetwine at its ends 9 from said plane by the curved guide D, which carriesthe end g of the twine across the path of the bill, so that it maybeengaged by the outer face of the knife-prong f as said bill is rotatedin the formation of the knot.

It will now be understood that by means of the mechanism herein shownand described a knot may be perfectly tied in the bindingtwine in suchmanner as to firmly retain the bundle and at the same time sever thetwine after the formation of the knot by means of a knife carried by thebill, which cuts the twine within the loop of the knot and at a pointcloser thereto than would be possible by means of a knife independent ofsaid bill.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A knotter-bill comprising a rounded oblong body tapered at one endand provided with opposed parallel prongs at the opposite end extendinglongitudinally of the knotter bill, one of which prongs has a cuttinginner edge and a hook at the outer end thereof.

2. In a knotter, the combination of a 1'0 tary shaft, the knotter-billmounted on said shaft, said bill comprising a rounded oblong bodytapered at one end and provided at the other end with opposed prongswhich stand apart to form an open way between them, one of said prongshaving a cutting inneredge and a hook at the inner end thereof whichprojects toward the face of the opposed prong of said bill.

8. In a knotter, the combination of a 1'0- tary shaft, a knotter-billmounted upon the end of said shaft tapered at one end and pro vided atthe opposite end with a projecting prong, and a hooked knife standingopposed to said prong, the point of the hook of said knife projectinginwardly and terminating at a point within the length of said prong.

4. In a knotter, the combination of a 1'0- tary shaft, a knotter-billmounted on said shaft, said bill having the opposed prongs for engagingthe twine, the inclined guide standing adjacent to said bill andcrossing ob liquely a line parallel to its longitudinal axis, the baseof said guide passing well out of alinement with said bill to presentthe cord diagonally across the under side of the bill and beyond theline of its outer face.

5. In a knotter, the combination of a bifurvcated knotter-bill adaptedto rotate in the arc of a vertical circle and standing normally in ahorizontal position parallel to the course of the twine, a way 0 in theupper side of said bill extending in the direction of the longitudethereof in which the twine is adapted to lie, a projecting prong and anopposed hooked knife at one end of said bill, and an inclinedtwine-guide adjacent thereto crossing obliquely the path of rotation ofsaid bill its lower end being carried beyond a point of alinementtherewith.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. ETEW'ARD.

\Vitnesses: 1

O. B. BoWEN,

G. M. Niel-ions.

